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Wayne County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge

Tanner Stevens, 23, admitted to producing and distributing child sexual abuse material, according to official court records.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 9:19 a.m. ET
According to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, Tanner Stevens, 23, of Wayne County, Missouri, guilty on August 11, 2026, to one count of receiving child pornography in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau. The case remains open as Stevens is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17. Official records state that Stevens admitted viewing child sexual abuse material beginning when he was 13 or 14. While a minor, Stevens took pictures of two minors and later uploaded them to X when he was 21. The investigation began when the Missouri State Highway Patrol Special Victims Unit received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children concerning an individual who uploaded material to Google Photos, which investigators traced to Stevens. A search of his cellular phone revealed over 100 videos and over 400 images containing child sexual abuse material. The charge carries a penalty of five to 20 years in prison. The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 13:19current

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